Tobii Eye Tracker review

[Shadow Reaper]

I really like this guy's work.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFN4HajMUPI

 

[SinuSinu]

Bought Tobii couple weeks ago. It is really nice for flying and enjoying the vistas. Tracking mainly head movement with 4% eye tracking. Haven't found good settings for FPS and not sure if I even want to use it for FPS.

 

[Dirtbag_Leader]

Thanks for sharing! Ordered mine just the other day (love my TrackIR when I'm using it, but usually too lazy to take the time to strap the junk to my head, or the window behind me screws things up). Really hope I can get it set to work pretty consistently! Don't really plan to use it much for FPS, at least at first. Slightly nervous that my 32:9 screen isn't technically supported, but they've issued some statements saying that shouldn't actually be a big deal. Fingers crossed! Also really hoping for some proper MSFS2020 in the near future. . .

 

[Raven_King]

Good review, thanks for sharing.

Have been using a Tobii Eye Tracker 5 since mid December; six months. I haven't played with the settings very much, and only in SC's menus. Didn't touch the curves or settings in the Tobii software at all yet - didn't need to. I found I like to only keep head tracking on, and disable eye tracking, because I find that quite distracting. It feels like I'm not using the tech to it's fullest potential - the eye tracking really does work very well and very consistently, but head tracking alone does everything I wanted it for. I especially find little circular overlay spot thing (often red in the video review above) hugely distracting - you don't have to use that if you don't like it! Also, for SC, I only have the head tracking enabled during flight. Tried it for FPS, and found that fun for a bit, but then too distracting and disorientating. I turned it off for FPS for now.

I also used Track IR before that. I liked Track IR, but it is a hassle to deal with the hat and wire clip thingy, and my goodness the IR sensor for that gets hot!

The Tobii works very well, and you don't have to wear a hat or anything reflective for it to work. I wouldn't be without it now, it's fantastic, it just works, and it hugely improves immersion and ability to see around me in space for all sorts of manoeuvres (docking, mining solo in a Mole to line up a rock for the turret, combat).

Some thoughts after some extended use:

1. It comes with a 1m cable fitted, and also consumes a fair bit of power, for a USB device. This means it doesn't work well (or at all) with a USB extension cable. :( The FAQ and instructions tell you to plug it directly into a USB socket on your PC. However, my monitor is on a sit-stand desk, and the computer is ~2m away along the cable path. However, I bought a powered USB hub. It works perfectly with that. (Except perhaps...)
2. When I first start my PC, it doesn't always power up the Tobii Eye tracker, and so when you start the Tobii Experience software, the tracker is not found (it's off). By unplugging it from the USB hub and plugging it in again, it works every time. This may or may not be caused by the powered USB hub, but I 100% need that. It's not such a big deal.
3. Sometimes it gets misaligned or miscalibrated while you're playing, usually when I've been doing something else, and looking elsewhere for a bit and its 'gradual recentering' has drifted my detected head position somewhere weird. Occasionally it becomes disabled in-game when you didn't touch a key. Simple solution: press / above your numeric keypad to disable it, which instantly centers your view, then press / to re-enable it, which starts head tracking nicely centered again. That sorts out most issues I've had with head tracking during play, and it's also perfect to...
4. Disable head tracking while you are mining in a Greycat ROC. This might be a bug in the game (and maybe it's fixed already), but with head-tracking enabled, your head steers the mining laser, instead of your mouse! That's no good. As above, press / on the numeric keypad to temporarily disable head tracking while cracking rocks and collecting the gems in your ROC, and turn it on again when you've collected them all. Easy. (There is no such issue when mining with the Prospector or Mole).
5. The curved monitor mount has velcro pads that are pretty robust, but still failed after ~5 months of me knocking my sensor by accident when I reached for something else under my monitor. When they failed and left the Tobii sensor dangling at the wrong angle, I just removed them from the monitor and from the mount thingy with some solvent and a fingernail, and then stuck the mounting bracket directly to the underside of my monitor with some very sticky 3M adhesive foam pads. It's now closer to my monitor and sticks out less far, so I knock it less often, and it's very strongly held. And, if those pads ever fail too, I have about 99 more.

It's a fantastic product! Worth it if you can afford it.

 

[Dirtbag_Leader]

I also used Track IR before that. I liked Track IR, but it is a hassle to deal with the hat and wire clip thingy, and my goodness the IR sensor for that gets hot!

The Tobii works very well, and you don't have to wear a hat or anything reflective for it to work. I wouldn't be without it now, it's fantastic, it just works, and it hugely improves immersion and ability to see around me in space for all sorts of manoeuvres (docking, mining solo in a Mole to line up a rock for the turret, combat).

Hot Damn! This is EXACTLY what I've been hoping for, especially compared to TrackIR; I can't wait for mine to arrive on Friday!!! :D Thanks Raven!

 

[Blind Owl]

I have one! She's gorgeous. I am still playing with setting for FPS, but for flight OH MY GOD!

I am drinking scotch and playing D&D or I may go more in depth.

Love y'all

No wait, love y'Owl!

 

[Shadow Reaper]

No hidesies. Give. What edition and which campaign D&D? From Greyhawk after it's been all downhill.

News flash: some people complain that 1st edition was unbalanced since humans don't get the perks the other demi-humans get, but don't have max levels. Guess what, that was part of Gygax's genius, an anthropo-centric world.

 

[Dirtbag_Leader]

Ok, so mine's here and so far working great! Only nitpick I have so far is I'm having trouble leaning in and holding things still enough to click the softbuttons on the MFDs. I can look at/read them pretty easily, but things are a bit sway-y when I try to click on anything.

 

[Shadow Reaper]

I'm confused. Are you saying you can actually work controls in your ship with hand gestures in mid air, like with a Leap Motion Controller? I thought all the Tobii did was point your view depending upon where you point your eyes or head.

 

[Dirtbag_Leader]

I thought all the Tobii did was point your view depending upon where you point your eyes or head.

Right, just this, but when I look down at the corner and lean forward to bring my view close to one of the cockpit MFDs to interact with it, it's tricky to hold my head still enough and then simultaneously use the mouse to click on anything on the MFD. I can do it, but it's hardly easy/natural like the rest of it. And unfortunately this otherwise *would* be a huge benefit of the head tracking, because holding F, mouse wheeling to zoom in, and then trying to scroll down which also effectively zooms you back out has always been a TERRIBLY frustrating way to overclock weapons!!!

 

[Sky Captain]

Good review, thanks for the share!

 

[Radegast74]

I'm waiting for the second generation Tobii tracker...in the meantime, I'm happy using the (free) head tracking in FOIP.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, I'm also waiting for the "mythical" FaceWare camera...that may or may not be a meme, at this point. I guess time will tell!

 

[Blind Owl]

No hidesies. Give. What edition and which campaign D&D? From Greyhawk after it's been all downhill.

News flash: some people complain that 1st edition was unbalanced since humans don't get the perks the other demi-humans get, but don't have max levels. Guess what, that was part of Gygax's genius, an anthropo-centric world.

5th Edition. As for campaign, I'm playing one that @Stevetank hosts and one that @sum1 hosts. Both are fun.

I'm confused. Are you saying you can actually work controls in your ship with hand gestures in mid air, like with a Leap Motion Controller? I thought all the Tobii did was point your view depending upon where you point your eyes or head.

Naw, you can just look at your MFDs, and lean in, and it zooms in for you.